For my Grandfather, who shared his wisdom and his search for the truth with his family.

World Aids Day

On December first of each year, communities around the world remember those we have lost to HIV / AIDS, and stand in solidarity with those infected and affected by the disease. From 2011 to 2015, the global focus for World Aids Day is “Getting to Zero”, and the theme for this prayer service is compassion.

The union of World AIDS Day and the First Sunday of Advent is fitting because it enables the faithful to relate the hope of God in Christ to the experience of those living with HIV/AIDS. Observing Advent and World AIDS Day at the same time provides a perfect opportunity for the church to show the depths of God’s love and the breadth of God’s saving grace for all of God’s children.

Preparation: Prominently center a large piece of red fabric at the front of the church, which should be dimly lighted, preferably with candles only. Arrange the fabric as the symbol of HIV / AIDS, and place a large number of lighted votive candles on the red fabric similar to a Taizé prayer service. Distribute a small length of red yarn to each person as they enter the church.

World Aids Day Prayer Service

Invitation – The people are welcomed and hear the following words:Take a moment to look at the candles on this red cloth. The candles represent the people who are still struggling with HIV and AIDS. The red cloth represents the people who have lost the struggle with AIDS and AIDS related illnesses. Who do you see there? Who do you see there that you wish you didn’t see? In the silent times that follow, you are invited to reflect on how you have struggled with what this red cloth represents.Prayer – Let us pray:Gracious God, we celebrate your love for us all, and give thanks that you hear us when we pray. Send your Spirit upon us now and lift us up, encourage and strengthen us, instill in us your wisdom, and increase our faith. Hear us, O God, as we pray on this World AIDS Day. Amen.Reflection – All remain silent after reading the following words:God of enduring hope and vibrant life be with us all as we live with the reality of HIV and AIDS. Help us struggle in love and anger toward a better world, where we are forever free from disease. Without your grace such life is impossible, without our actions such hope is improbable. Give us the vision to make such a world imaginable.Hymn – After a brief period of silence we sing the following hymn:We Gather Here in Faith and Hope by W. Richard Turner. “We gather here in faith and hope when worries crowd our day. Our worldly cares consume our lives and we forget to pray. …”

Reading – Jeremiah 33:14-16:“The days are coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and Judah. …”Prayer – Let us pray:O God, a righteous branch is springing up, fulfilling your promise so all living with HIV and AIDS have access to health care and live in safety. The days are surely coming, the Lord is our righteousness. We worship you who is faithful and sure, coming with hope and dwelling with us in love, executing justice and righteousness in the land. Amen.Reflection – All remain silent after reading the following words:We confess to God that indifference in the guise of ignorance has diverted our eyes from the people and loved ones living with HIV and AIDS. Forgive us and show us new pathways where information and knowledge transform us.Hymn – After a brief period of silence we sing the following hymn:Here Am I Lord by Dan Schutte. “I, the Lord of sea and sky, I have heard my people cry. All who dwell in darkness now, my hand will save. …”

Reading – Psalm 25:1-7:“I wait for you, O Lord: I lift up my soul to my God. In you I trust; do not let my enemies gloat over me …”Prayer – Let us pray:We lift up the people who have died of AIDS related illness. Those who were abandoned by their relatives, hurt, unsure, and struggling. May those who still suffer be treated well; to feel loved and valued. We lift up the people who live in fear, not daring to give their names, afraid that at any moment someone will discover their secret. Do not let their enemies exult over them; do not let those who wait for you to be put to shame. Amen.Reflection – All remain silent after reading the following words:We confess to God that indifference barricaded by prejudice has deafened our ears to the cry of people and loved ones living with HIV and AIDS. Forgive us and show us new pathways of care and support.Hymn – After a brief period of silence we sing the following hymn:To You, O God, I Lift up my Soul by Bob Hurd. “To you, O God, I lift up my soul; lift up my spirit to my Lord. …”

Reading – 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13:“What thanksgiving, then, can we render to God for you, for all the joy we feel on your account before our God? …”Prayer – Let us pray:We lift up the people whose poor living conditions offer little security and even less medical care. They defend themselves by saying, I have no friends; no one to talk to. Lead them in your truth, and teach them that you are the God of our salvation; for you we wait all day long. We lift up those who know someone who has died of AIDS related illness. We do not remember the sins of their youth or their transgressions, but according to your steadfast love we remember them for your goodness' sake. Amen.Reflection – All remain silent after reading the following words:We confess to God that indifference blanketed by fear has immobilized our hands from the needs of people and loved ones living with HIV and AIDS. Forgive us and show us new pathways of love, acceptance, and affirming touch.Hymn – After a brief period of silence we sing the following hymn:O Lord, How Shall I Meet You by Paul Gerhardt. “O Lord, how shall I meet you, how welcome you aright? …”

Reading – Luke 21:25-36:“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. ...”Prayer – Let us pray:Make us to know your ways, O LORD; teach us your paths. We lift up those who still fight against HIV, AIDS, and AIDS related illness, and the support groups that work with all who are affected by it. Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Amen.Reflection – All remain silent after reading the following words:We confess to God that indifference shielded by rejection closed our hearts to the separation and powerlessness of people and loved ones living with HIV and AIDS. Forgive us and show us new pathways of accompaniment and acceptance.Hymn – After a brief period of silence we sing the following hymn:I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light by Kathleen Thomerson. “I want to walk as a child of the light; I want to follow Jesus. …”

ResponsorialSpeaker: Lord, share this time with us just as you share our lives every day, with light and shadow, and at other times with the sad wail of the souls suffering without hope; we pray to the Lord.All: Lord, hear our prayer.Speaker: Lord, share this time with us just as one day you shared the dusty paths of life, with the men and women of your day, preaching, healing, suffering, dying, and loving; we pray to the Lord.All: Lord, hear our prayer.Speaker: Lord, share this time with us just as you shared your words and gestures, and your body and blood as a sign of your complete commitment to a world hungry for peace, justice and life; we pray to the Lord.All: Lord, hear our prayer.Speaker: Lord, share this time with us and mark us with the fire of your presence, transform and renew in us your love and compassion for those who suffer without hope; we pray to the Lord.All: Lord, hear our prayer.Speaker: Lord, you were raised up to keep hope alive and you have loved us with an everlasting love; we pray to the Lord.All: Lord, hear our prayer.Prayer – Let us pray:Father, your house is filled with grace enough to embrace all who will enter the open door, with light and understanding to show us the wisdom and truth of your Word; with strength for those who live with affliction and infirmity; with compassion for those who ask for healing and mercy; and with love, unbounded and unconditional, for those who will give and receive. Amen.Reflection – All remain silent after reading the following words:

The house of God is a shelter for the forsaken and forgotten, a hospice for those who seek wholeness and God’s healing, a family for those who live in solitude and alienation. Let us go into the house of our God.Hymn – After a brief period of silence we sing the following hymn:House of God, Through Endless Ages by Mike Morgan. “House of God, through endless ages, where our spirits sing with praise; peace endures when conflict rages, …”

Commitment – As the following words are spoken, everyone is invited to tie the small length of red yarn to each other’s wrists as a sign of their commitment: Come; let us meet the God of life, the fountain of all hope, that God may teach us His ways so that we may walk in His pathways guided by His light.Prayer – Let us pray:Go out into the world and take with you the hope of God our creator, who in love created a world where all would be whole and longs for that wholeness to be restored. Let us share the hope of Jesus who touched and ate with the broken and offered them healing as he offers it to us now. Amen.Reflection – All remain silent after reading the following words:God keeps His promise of forgiveness to all who draw near. With an open, loving heart, God acknowledges our fidelity even in the little we have done, and gives us new opportunities to be good and faithful servants in all that still needs to be done. Hymn – After a brief period of silence we sing the following hymn:The Servant Song by Richard Gillard. “Will you let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you …”

Reading – 2 Peter 3:8–15:“Finally, all of you, be of one mind, sympathetic, loving toward one another, compassionate, humble. …”Prayer – Let us pray:Merciful God, we remember all who are sick this day, especially all persons with AIDS or HIV infection and their loved ones. Give them courage to live with their disease and help them to face and overcome their fears. Be with them when they feel alone or rejected, comfort them when they feel discouraged, and touch them with your healing Spirit that they may find and possess eternal life, now and forever. Amen.Reflection – After reading the following words all remain seated in silence or leave in silence: In the hope of the Spirit who inspires guides and energizes us in times of apathy and despair may the Father, Son and Holy Spirit work with each one of us to bring all of God's people into oneness and health.

***** Assignment *****

Holy Rosary Parish has never observed Worlds Aids Day with a liturgy, and in the first week of November, Father Joseph Mendoza asked the liturgy committee to discuss Worlds Aids Day. In this case study I am supposed to plan a liturgy for World Aids Day. I should also explain what I think the theme should be, choose the readings and hymns that are appropriate, and indicate what rituals the liturgy will include. Lastly I am supposed to comment on one or two of the concerns raised by the liturgy committee (not included here) or concerns that I anticipate a parish might prepare for when planning a World Aids Day service.

***** Evaluation *****

This paper was submitted on time, and was eventually returned with comments and suggestions for improvement. Although I didn't specifically comment on the concerns by members of the Holy Rosary liturgy committee, I did integrate my responses to concerns into the text of the service (see the reflections). His comments are worth passing on, and here is what I learned:

1) You have developed a creative prayer service and one that calls us to recognize and pray about the often inadequate response of our communities to the HIV / AIDS Epidemic. Serveral times, we find the phrase, "we confess to God". I consider the tone appropriate given the centrality of the call to compassion in Chrisitan Scriptures. At the same time, i wonder if your congregation will be with you. To help share a Scriptural view of a situation, prayer services use preaching. You might consider including some preaching in the service either in short reflections or in a longer sermon.

2) While the call to compassion may well lead us to think of times we have failed to love, we also want to highlight the times when members of our community have loved. Their example will teach us how to better repsond in love.

3) One last suggestion, if you want people to connect with liturgies liek this, your parish may need to host prayers with similar formats on other occasions. people connect with prayers in part because of a psychological connection with the elements of the prayer service.

4) Parishes benefit greatly from creative leaders for liturgy. I am happy your parish has you as a resource person.

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About this Blog

I am a graduate of the ILM program at the Diocese of San Jose, Ca. The Institute for Leadership in Ministry is a three year program that meets one night per week, plus one Saturday per month. This is the story of my personal journey for truth, knowledge, and wisdom.

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Prayer of Abandonment

Father, I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will. Whatever you may do, I thank you: I am ready for all, I accept all. Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures. I wish no more than this, O Lord.

Into your hands I commend my soul; I offer it to you with all the love of my heart, for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself, to surrender myself into your hands, without reserve, and with boundless confidence, for you are my Father.